"The striking difference was that while many of the African and Indian subjects registered predominantly positive experiences with their voices, not one American did. Rather, the U.S. subjects were more likely to report experiences as violent and hateful – and evidence of a sick condition."

"Moreover, the Americans mostly did not report that they knew who spoke to them and they seemed to have less personal relationships with their voices, according to Luhrmann."

"Among the Indians in Chennai, more than half (11) heard voices of kin or family members commanding them to do tasks. “They talk as if elder people advising younger people,” one subject said. That contrasts to the Americans, only two of whom heard family members""

"Why the difference? Luhrmann offered an explanation: Europeans and Americans tend to see themselves as individuals motivated by a sense of self identity, whereas in the East, people imagine the mind and self interwoven with others and defined through relationships."

The main idea i got from this is the perception you put on yourself and other selfs can affect the intensity and negativity/positivity of the gift/curse that is schizophrenia.

In tribal cultures schizophrenics are seen as gifted by their apparent connection to other worlds, and sometimes are the ones who become shamans.

For those who are familiar with astral noises, I was relaxing on my chair the other day dozing off and I kept hearing random noises in the in-between state. It occurred to me that those who experience auditory hallucinations may be experiencing a slight permanent link with their waking consciousness to their astral body.